The present invention is directed to the field of computer-assisted diagramming.
In order to document complicated systems, such as enterprise computer networks, software systems, database systems, and business organizational structures, it is common to prepare one or more diagrams portraying the content and organization of the system. As an example, FIG. 1 is a sample diagram of a enterprise computer network. The diagram shows that the enterprise computer network 100 contains a single logical network 110. In the enterprise computer network, four network devices, such as routers, are connected to the logical network: xe2x80x9cAS5300.visio.comxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cDublin, Ehxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cMCI_Domesticxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cVirgilxe2x80x9d. In the diagram, the xe2x80x9cAS5300.visio.comxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cDublin, Ehxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cMCI_Domesticxe2x80x9d devices are shown together in a device list 120 for the logical computer network. The xe2x80x9cVirgilxe2x80x9d device, on the other hand, is shown individually at 130. Connected to the xe2x80x9cVirgilxe2x80x9d device are five interfaces, xe2x80x9c(ifindex.1)xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c(ifindex.2)xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c(ifindex.3)xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c(ifindex.5)xe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9c(ifindex.6)xe2x80x9d, which are shown together in interface list 140. Also shown are connection 151 between logical computer network 110 and device list 120, connection 152 between logical computer network 110 and device 130, and connection 153 between device 130 and interface list 140. The logical network, devices, and interfaces are said to be xe2x80x9ccomponentsxe2x80x9d of the enterprise computer network system.
Such a diagram may be generated manually, as with pencil and paper. Such a diagram may also be generated with a computer-based drawing tool, such as Visio Technical 5.0 software by Visio Corporation executing on a computer system. In order to use such a tool, a user generally drags shapes like those shown in FIG. 1 from a shape palette into their proper place in the drawing. The user further generally also types all of the text shown in FIG. 1 using the drawing tool.
Both the computer-based drawing tool or pencil and paper approaches to generating the diagram require significant effort by the user. These approaches further rely on the user to survey and conceptualize the enterprise computer network, which demands additional time and aptitude. Yet further, if the computer network changes after a drawing is generated in accordance with either of these approaches, additional effort to modify the drawing to reflect these changes is required to restore the accuracy of the diagram.
In some cases, it is possible to obtain a computer-readable representational model of the enterprise computer network in question. For example, Network Audit Technology Version 1.3 Software by Kaspia Systems, Inc. and OpenView Software by Hewlett-Packard Corporation can be used to generate a representational model of a enterprise computer network. Using Network Audit Technology or OpenView, such a model can be used to automatically generate a comprehensive diagram of the enterprise computer network. Unfortunately, the resulting diagrams illustrate every component of the enterprise computer network. Such a diagram is typically so large and involves so much information that it overwhelms the user. Also, such a diagram is typically laid out in an arbitrary manner, making specific components difficult to find. In order to make such a comprehensive diagram useful, one must typically invest significant additional effort in editing it by rearranging, altering, and/or deleting much of its content.
It is the nature of dynamic systems such as enterprise computer networks that their contents and organization may change over time. Where a dynamic system that is illustrated by a diagram generated with pencil and paper or with a computer-based drawing tool changes, the user must again manually survey the enterprise computer network and modify the diagram in accordance with the observed changes. Where a changed system was diagrammed automatically from a representational model, the representational model must be regenerated from scratch, then used to generate a new comprehensive diagram of the network. In this process, any edits made to the earlier comprehensive diagram of the network are lost. To be incorporated in this new diagram, the earlier edits must be repeated by the user, if the user is even able to remember them.
In view of the above-discussed shortcomings of the conventional approaches for diagramming dynamic systems, such as a enterprise computer network, a more suitable system for maintaining diagrams of dynamic representational models representing such systems would have significant utility.